Eros' Curse
by krueger84
Summary: One shot's focussing on love and loss in the Buffyverse. Keeping open for future thoughts. R&R. So far, Buffy/Angel pairing. More pairings now, also non-romantic pairings Faith Mayor
1. Tears Of Sacrifice

**Eros' Curse**

**Story 1 – Tears of sacrifice.**

Buffy and Angelus exchanged blows with their blades, driving and veering each other around the mansion.

Just as Buffy had directed Angelus to the awakened statue of Acathla, a change occurred, deep within Angelus, and Buffy watched in anticipation as Angel's soul returned and brightened his once cold eyes.

He stared at Buffy, confused and helpless. "Buffy, what's goin' on. What's wrong."

Buffy stared deeply, longingly into his eyes, and started weeping softly.

"Buffy, come here, why…why are you crying?"

"I'm just thinking of everything I'm about to lose." She turned to face away from him, and allowed him to wrap his arms around her, holding her tightly.

He kissed her softly on the head, closing his eyes. When he had reopened them, he stared in shock as Buffy drove her sword directly through her shoulder and as it passed through her back, into his chest as well.

This dragged them both into the dimensional portal that the summoning of Acathla had created.

Buffy screamed in pain from the wound she had inflicted, but looked over her shoulder to her lover, knowing nothing would separate them now.

As they both passed into the portal, a small ring dropped to the floor, a token of a love cursed on this plane.

**Reviews are greatly appreciated. Expect more small stories of love and loss from the Buffyverse to be added as chapters in the future.**


	2. A Father's Love

**Story 2 – A Father's Love**

"This is a thing of beauty, boss." Faith had said, the words rolling through Mayor Wilkins' head, gathering speed and narrowing in on his heart.

He had once seen her in battle, seeing past her capabilities and potential, and finding a kindred spirit, a young girl who looked remarkably like his first daughter Marsha, whom he had lost a short while ago at a healthy age. He wanted then to protect her, take her under his wing, and have her rule his world, the way they both saw fit.

Looking at her now, he knew he was wrong. She was badly bruised and heavily concussed, to the point of being in a coma. Even her slayer strength could only help so much. She was out of the battle, and he was alone again.

As he sat there and watched over her, he mourned her loss, not as a cronie, not as a hired help, not as an assassin on a payroll, but as his daughter.

**That's about it for this one, please review. ******


	3. Love Hurts

With a final groan of ecstacy, Xander and Anya finished making love…again. It had been the second time that day, but when they were alone, they were insatiable and had no control over the urges.

A blissful calm rushed over them both as Xander collapsed on his pillow, Anya nestling her head into Xander's collarbone. They laid there contently for what seemed like seconds, when in fact it had been closer to an hour.

Anya sighed dreamily and murmured, "_Now I know"._

Xander replied in a perplexed manner, "Know what sweetie?"

"Nothing, just hold me."

Xander was sufficed to agree, and pulled her in closer to his chest.

"It never made sense, these girls wanted to wish such horrible things. I just put it down to the estrogen flowing through their system, like a personal brand of psychotic adrenaline. But it's more than that. _So much more_."

Xander smirked and replied "It's called love, An."

"It hurts, Xander."

"Hmm?"

"I'm going to have to get up and go to the magic shop eventually, and you're going to have to go to work, and you can't hold me like this when we're apart." She stated in a panicked tone.

"Then we won't get up, we'll just stay like this forever."

Anya nodded, worried all the same.

"And if we do have to get up, we'll just find each other again and curl up together, and then we won't get up."

"This is what drives them mad, Xander….love hurts."

"But sometimes it's a good hurt."

With that, Xander kissed her forehead and drifted off, holding the woman he would propose to, later that day.

**A/N – OK, this shows I am not above throwing in Incubus lyrics to prove a point. Please review, its better than not reviewing *nudges cookie towards reader*….you leave review, you take cookie, crisis averted.**


	4. Awkward

Awkward:

Adam spent the better part of a decade searching for his "Eve" in this god-forsaken hell dimension. The idea of an afterlife to be endured after his defeat at Buffy's hands left a bitter taste in his mouth, or at least, the mouth of the demon used to assemble that body part.

His only solace was to believe that the "powers that be" held something in store for him. A reward for living out his Frankenstein's monster existence. A reward designed for a half life. But what would it be, a half love?

He found his answer in chains at the top of a crude rock face. A dragon guarded his prize, but dragons were no match for him now. He swiftly defeated her captor and awoke her from her sleep with a kiss.

"Ewww, gross! I get stuck in this hell-dimension that isn't even home and my knight in shining armour is part demon!" Glory bellowed in his face.

"Well actually, a lot of parts of me are human too, mostly skin, eyes, inner anatomy. I also retain some exterior organs for the purpose of replication. I believe it was from a human also," Adam explained.

"Well then, aren't you a giant bucket of surprises. I suppose it couldn't hurt to share one more kiss. After all, you did dispatch of the dragon that I had guard me for so long," Glory replied wistfully.

Glory leaned up and met his hungry lips with hers. He dragged his hands through her luscious blond hair and then brought them down to her shoulders to meet in a tight embrace that sent warm shivers through both of them.

Adam picked her up and cradled her in his arms, giving her one more kiss, softer this time, before returning to the southern plains of this world.

Halfway back down the incline, Glory looked at Adam apologetically before shrieking in pain and being replaced by Ben.

Ben looked up at the figure holding him, shock escaping his wide brown eyes. Adam met his gaze with a similar reaction.

"Well, this is awkward," Adam commented before promptly dropping Ben on his tailbone.

**A/N – This is just a humourous addition to the collection. I know some people want me to expand on my first chapter of the collection, but I'd rather explore this one, lol. Not for swordplay reasons, but it should be duly noted that not only Buffy should be allowed to have a 2-person love triangle!**


	5. Decision

Decision:

_Is this how it ends? Blood? A drop on the floor? A snap of the neck? Heartbeats lost? Horrors gained? When will it all STOP!_

Buffy opened the door, the cool Spring breeze whipped across her features.

_He killed them. He took them all away from me, away from the world. Their lights, their flames, all extinguished. He almost blew my light out too…._

A sharp ray of light cut the doorjamb at an acute angle, scarring Buffy's left arm.

_I can hear them all. I don't care! The voices dance across my cerebrum like an awkward waltz. 1 2 3, 1 2 3, 1 2 3, 1 2 3 STOP! My god, I sound like Drusilla. Is this how he made her? No wonder Spike hates him. He almost extinguished me, but he saw my power. He stopped the choking, he stopped the bludgeoning. He started the choking again for awhile. Where is he? I miss him so much…_

She could hear children singing, chasing an ice cream van that took a chance in the unseasonably warm day.

_My flame burns dull now, it is grey light, it's soaking dryness. I am life's contradiction now. I am undead. The power I had before was nothing, but at the same time everything. That's wrong…_

She could smell the mud on the rear tires of the neighbours landrover. She scrunched her nose and tried again, smelling something more alluring…the owner.

_The physical strength I have now passes expectations. Angelus will be pleased, but he will fear me…I want him to cuddle me, and I want him to scream as I force his eyeballs from his skull._

She recoiled in horror of her thoughts, then composed herself, her mind set on her first mission.

_My true power is gone, he took it away from me. All I am now is a vessel. An impenetrable fortress with hollow stables._

She backed away a few paces and sprinted for the door.

_I have nothing to offer to a world I can't love anymore. All I have left is my gift. It's time…_

Once Buffy had cut through the entrance, she headed straight for the front lawn in front of her house and dived, never landing.

She always dies alone.


	6. Threads

Threads:

Xander walked into the Bronze and ordered a drink. He placed his duffel bag on the floor in front of him and surveyed the room for 'talent'. He found what he desired sitting at a table alone in the corner.

Xander pointed the girl out to the barkeeper and asked what she was drinking. He wasn't surprised in the slightest when the barkeep told him she'd downed 2 fluffy ducks in the last half hour. He ordered another for her, and made his way slowly across the floor.

As he passed each girl they seemed to disengage in their various conversations or seem distracted to their boyfriends and girlfriends as they stared longingly at Mr Harris' back, eyeing his broad shoulders and tight jeans. For once in his life, Xander noticed the attention he was receiving, and didn't care in the slightest.

"I thought I'd find you here." He gloated, smirking at his ex-fiance.

"Well, I've just finished preparing my offering for the new love of my life, and, well, it was exhausting stressful work, I thought a nice light drink might help," Anya stated, glaring furiously at the table. "The nice man behind the bar recommended this fluffy duck cocktail." Anya raised her head to stare into Xander's eyes but didn't make it past his jacket. "Halfway through my first one though, I realized something. RJ isn't the one for me. He was too much of a boy. I need a man, a man that grunts and sweats and makes his muscles ripple in the scorching summer heat before falling in a hole and catching Native American syphilis."

"I thought you might say that, An." Xander leaned in for a kiss, and Anya didn't hesitate in meeting him halfway. The pressure of her lips on his seemed unnatural to him. It was never this urgent, this blind. Their love had purpose. They intimacy provided comfort to both, warm comfort. Xander broke the embrace and took a step back, removing his jacket and looking into her eyes.

He saw her emotions change in her eyes. Her empty smile broke and was replaced with a mask of rage, confusion and finally understanding.

Xander smiled, "There's my girl." He leaned in for another kiss and was met with a slap to the face.

"Tool! You think you can just come here and sweep me off my feet again. Xander the prodigal prince returns to claim his saucy wench. I don't think so." She paused and looked into his eyes again. "Thank you for thinking of me first, over the rest of them," she acknowledged the now less-than-interested female population of the Bronze with a half-hearted wave.

Anya walked to Xander and motioned for him to hold her. He took her in his arms and kissed her on the top of her head. Anya lifted her eyes to meet his again and gave him a delicate kiss before nuzzling into his chest.

Xander took the jacket to Buffy's house so it could be burnt promptly. Unbeknownst to them, they were burning a remarkably similar looking jacket that Xander's father had once worn when he played lacrosse for Sunnydale High back in the 70's. Xander was relieved and endlessly glad that they didn't think to smell it.

**A/N – Heh, I think replacing the jacket is a very Xander move and seeking out the one person he truly desires very much another Xander move. Indeed….review please!**


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